Iowa Hawkeyes women’s wrestling finished its second season as a program as back-to-back national champions. The Hawkeyes claimed three individual titles, while all 15 wrestlers who competed earned All-American honors. The Hawkeyes finished undefeated in duals on the season, winning the National Duals title in January. Iowa also posted large success in multiple open tournaments throughout the season.
Head coach Clarissa Chun said she is extremely proud of how her wrestlers fought throughout not only the national championships but the entire season.
“Our women fight hard,” Chun said after the national championship victory. “They deal with a lot of pressures from themselves to represent Iowa. They do a great job being able to manage such rigorous, hard academic schedules alongside the training schedule. They’re amazing. They really do love each other so much. We lift each other up and push each other forward. I’m so grateful for this team.”
The Hawkeye women’s wrestlers began the season in Indianola on Nov. 2, 2024, where they brought home six individual champions at the Luther Hill Open. In that tournament, the Hawkeyes advanced 14 wrestlers to the semifinals and 10 to the championship finals round. Their immediate success would only continue throughout the remainder of the season.
Iowa cleared through ranked opponents throughout the year such as No. 8 Wartburg, No. 7 Lindenwood, No. 6 Presbyterian, No. 4 McKendree, and No. 2 North Central, to name a few. The Hawkeyes were ranked second to King University in the preseason poll but quickly flipped the script to take over the top spot with early-season domination that continued all year.
“I think it was just their competitive advantages,” Chun said regarding her team’s success to at the NCWWC press conference last Thursday. “Just reminding them what they bring, what is their competitive advantages to continue to bring out their best. This is what we train all season for, just to go out there and have fun and do what they do.”
Heading into nationals, the Hawkeyes held at least one top-10 ranked wrestler in each weight class with six ranked number one in the country.
Perhaps the most impressive group for the Hawkeyes this season was the newcomers. Top-ranked Hawkeye transfers at 145 and 160 pounds Macey Kilty and Kennedy Blades each claimed individual national titles at their respective weight classes. Kilty had not competed in a team setting since high school and had just one year of eligibility coming into this season. Blades finished her first season as a Hawkeye with a 25-0 record, winning each match by technical fall or pin.
“I think it’s a blessing in disguise that I got to have this one opportunity this year to participate in something like this,” Kilty said at Thursday’s press conference. “It is only growing, and it’s only going to get cooler for other girls coming up. We break down everything with ‘for her,’ because it really is for her, the next generation. I didn’t have an opportunity like this coming out of high school, so it’s kind of like a backwards track for me, but I’m glad I get this opportunity and these girls will have an opportunity after me to do something bigger.”
Just as impactful were the first-year wrestlers who stepped into the lineup and dominated all season. Rianne Murphy and Naomi Simon each placed third in their respective weight classes at 103 and 180 pounds. Murphy finished the season with a 32-4 record while Simon finished 39-4, three of her four losses being against teammate Kylie Welker, who also claimed her second straight individual title Saturday. Each of Simon’s victories came by tech fall or pin.
“It’s great,” Chun said about the first-year and transfer wrestlers at last Thursday’s press conference. “I think their immediate impact doesn’t come without the support of the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen came in three years ago, and they didn’t have anyone showing them the way. We were all new to Iowa, we were all new to campus, we were all new to the inner workings of being a D1 athlete. It was so great to see the freshmen getting to have that opportunity to have their arms wrapped around and shown the way by our upperclassmen.”